NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program

Eligibility:

• Age: No age requirement
• Academics: No minimum GPA, but must provide MCAT scores (Track 1 only).
• Citizenship: US citizen or permanent resident

Selection Criteria:

• High academics.
• Research experience, outside activities, and letters of recommendation that contribute to a holistic evaluation of the candidate.
• One or more substantial research experiences. On campus lab experience. Two-three plus years of research experience are not unusual.
• Applicants has co-authored manuscripts in scientific journals / presented their work in the form or talks or posters at national meetings (though this is not a prerequisite).
• Outstanding letters of recommendation.

Application Deadlines

• National Deadline: December 2024
• Endorsement: U-M Nomination is not required 

Instructions for Prospective Applicants 

Prospective applicants should join the UK Scholarships Canvas course for an overview of the application, program requirements, additional advising information, and more.  

Note: Prospective students must first submit the NIH GPP Application for admission consideration. If desired, interested candidates may delay submission of the UK University application until notification of program acceptance. Please note that students seeking consideration for external scholarships such as Rhodes, Marshall, or Gates-Cambridge must submit the UK application by the University deadline. For additional information, visit the External Fellowships webpage.

Application Components 

Application components for all applicants:

1. Personal statement - 9,000 character limit (including spaces)
   Details your motivation, experience, and long-term goals. The statement, which reflects your focus and biomedical interests, factors heavily into the evaluation process. It should include a description of why you feel you will thrive under the dual-mentored, accelerated process that characterizes the program. 
2. CV/Resume
   Research Interests include: Field(s) of research you are interested in (e.g. neuroscience, imaging, immunology, biostatistics)
   Research Experience include: Research project title and goal, Research internships, Independent undergraduate research, Major accomplishments and findings, Research techniques learned
   Publications and Presentations include: Papers with author list and citation, Thesis, abstracts, meetings, etc.
   Awards & Honors include: Undergraduate awards and recognitions, Dean’s list, Research fellowships, Community citations
   Extracurricular Activities include: Leadership roles, Memberships in professional associations
3. Additional Information
   - GRE scores are not required and will not be considered.
   - MCAT scores are required for MD/PhD Track 1 applicants only.
   - List any scholarships (Marshall, Rhodes, Gates-Cambridge, NIH Cambridge Trust, Churchill, Fulbright, etc.) that you are in the process of applying for or have already submitted an application to.
   - List potential mentors at the NIH and Oxford and/or Cambridge whose research you are interested in. You can search for NIH faculty members on the individual NIH institute web sites, which can be found through the NIH Intramural Research Program.
4. Letters of Recommendation (3)
   - Requests for letters of recommendation are sent after the application is submitted. If an earlier reference request is desired, the applicant may submit his/her application. Doing so will prompt the application system to send the recommendation requests to the  letter writers. Also, the applicant may continue to edit/update the application until the deadline.
   - The applicant is not required to submit the application in order for the letter requests to be sent.
   - Recommenders must submit the letters of recommendation by the deadline
   - Letters must be written and dated within the last 12 months.
   - Only letters uploaded to the on-line application site will be accepted.
   - Applications with less than three letters of recommendation are incomplete and will not be considered for admission.

MD/PhD Program Application Components:

1. Apply to medical school and/or MD/PhD programs (via AMCAS)
   • Candidates who are applying to/enrolled in any U.S. clinical program or MD/PhD program are eligible to participate in the NIH Medical Scientist Partnership Program (MSPP)
2. Apply for MSPP funding. (via the FM1 fellowship application)
   • The funding application opens July 8, 2023 and closes August 8, 2023
   • Track 1 applicants should contact NIAID staff at least 90 days before the submission deadline by sending an email to NIHMSPPQuestions@niaid.nih.gov to receive specific instructions on how to apply.
   • Track 2 applicants should contact their school's business or grants administration staff at least 90 days before the submission deadline.
3. Apply for the desired NIH MD/PhD program pathway (via the NIH GPP Portal)
   • The NIH GPP application portal will open in August 21, 2023 and close December 1st
   • There is no application fee
   • MCAT scores are required for admission consideration

Application Process:

Candidates interested in admission to the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program must submit the NIH GPP application. To start an application:

1.  Create your account username and password, then select “Apply Now”

2.  Select the GPP APPLICATION (Long Form) option

3.  Indicate the desired GPP and/or training pathway under "Partnership Selection". A full list of the available NIH Institutional Partnerships is provided here.

             a.  To apply for the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars (PhD Only) Program, select:  University of Oxford (England)/University of Cambridge (England)/NIH - PhD

             b.  To apply for Track 1 of the MD/PhD Partnership Training Program, select:  University of Oxford (England) / University of Cambridge (England) / Consortia of Universities - NIH - MD/PhD - Track-1

             c.  To apply for Track 2 of the MD/PhD Partnership Training Program, select:  University of Oxford (England)/University of Cambridge (England)/NIH - MD/PHD - Track 2

4.  Applications for fall 2025 admission must be submitted by the December 2024 deadline as stated on the NIH GPP website.